European champions Leicester reached their second successive Heineken Cup final in dramatic fashion as full-back Tim Stimpson kicked them to a nailbiting victory over brave Welsh challengers Llanelli.

Stimpson won the game for Leicester with an 80th minute penalty from two metres inside his own half, his kick bouncing off the crossbar before tantalisingly dropping over.

Leicester's 13,500-strong travelling army of supporters could scarcely believe it, but they now have a final appointment with Munster to look forward to at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on May 25.

The semi-final clash, labelled beforehand by Leicester captain Martin Johnson as a Battle of Britain, never lived up to that billing in front of a capacity 29,500 crowd at Nottingham Forest's City Ground.

But what the tie might have lacked in terms of skill and invention, it compensated through high drama and tension that continued right until the final whistle.

Both clubs had beaten each other already in the competition this season, and once again, there was hardly anything to choose between them.

Leicester's 19 year old scrum-half Harry Ellis scored the only try when he sprinted through Llanelli's defence on 42 minutes.

Otherwise it was a battle of the goal kickers between Stimpson and Llanelli's Stephen Jones.

Jones, who had tormented Leicester when they lost in Wales three months ago, slotted four penalties and ensured that Llanelli held a 12-10 advantage throughout almost the entire final quarter.

But just when Leicester looked as though their reign as kings of Europe was over, up stepped the ultra-reliable Stimpson to see them home.

Llanelli, who suffered a similarly heartbreaking Heineken Cup semi-final defeat against Northampton two years ago, were once again left crestfallen.

In stark contrast though, Leicester are now potentially just 80 minutes away from becoming the first team in history to successfully defend the trophy.

But whatever Munster throw at them next month, they are unlikely to be given a more searching examination than the one Llanelli provided them with.

Leicester were repeatedly knocked out of their stride by a fired-up Llanelli outfit and even senior internationals like Martin Johnson and Austin Healey found themselves making uncharacteristic errors.

The occasion's sheer intensity seemed to get the better of both teams at times, and with Irish referee David McHugh keeping a vice-like grip on proceedings, there was very little flowing rugby to savour.

Put simply, there was just too much at stake, and Leicester could not have felt aggrieved had they gone out had Stimpson failed to come up trumps.

Llanelli were seeking to become the first Welsh club to reach a Heineken final since Cardiff six years ago, and their pack tore into Leicester from the start.

Leicester prop Darren Garforth was warned following a fifth-minute skirmish between both packs, and Jones kicked Llanelli into a 9-3 lead after 25 minutes. Stimpson kicking Leicester's three points.

Llanelli captain Scott Quinnell sometimes took things too far, making ill-judged late challenges, but Llanelli absorbed Leicester pressure to establish a six-point interval lead.

But just two minutes after the re-start, the picture changed when Llanelli were stunned by a piece of opportunist brilliance.

Grasping the ball 25 metres out, Ellis spotted a gap in Llanelli's defensive line, and he scurried clear, swerving outside Scarlets' full-back Garan Evans to touchdown.

Stimpson added the conversion, and Llanelli found themselves behind for the first time, but when Leicester's England flanker Lewis Moody was penalised in front of his own posts, Jones kicked the resulting penalty.

For the next 27 minutes, Leicester kept huffing and puffing to try and find a way through, yet Llanelli were able to keep them out and it became more and more apparent that Stimpson would be required once again as Leicester's match winner.

He duly obliged, landing one of the great kicks in Heineken Cup history and leaving Llanelli to reflect painfully and tearfully on what might have been.

English champions Leicester now march on to meet Munster in four weeks' time, but they are unlikely to get such a big a fright as the one they experienced on Sunday.

Teams:

Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Smith, Kafer, Tuilagi, Healey, Ellis, Rowntree, West, Garforth, M. Johnson, Kay, Moody, Back, Corry.

Replacements: Lloyd for Tuilagi (71), Hamilton for Ellis (64).

Not Used: Freshwater, Cockerill, Deacon, Balding, Goode.

Tries: Ellis.

Cons: Stimpson.

Pens: Stimpson 2.

Llanelli: G. Evans, M. Jones, N. Boobyer, L. Davies, Finau, S. Jones, G. Easterby, Madden, McBryde, J. Davies, Cooper, Wyatt, Hodges, S. Easterby, Quinnell.

Replacements: Proctor for G. Evans (71), Gross for Wyatt (72), I. Boobyer for S. Easterby (72).

Not Used: Booth, Thomas, Peel, G. Bowen.

Pens: S. Jones 4.

Att: 29,849

Ref: David McHugh (Ireland).